Numerous wine glasses have been developed for the drinking and tasting of wine. Some of these glasses are designed to enhance the bouquet of the wine. Riedel has developed wine glasses where the bowl is shaped to match a particular type of wine, as discussed in the Background of U.S. Publication No. 2003/0189055. Riedel, in German patent document DE 197 57 413 A 1, has also developed a wine tasting glass with a hollow stem for tasting wine; the hollow stem is provided to allow a small controlled volume to be provided to the taster.
Beverage containers have been made having protrusions in a central portion, frequently for artistic or visual effect, such as taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,028,035; Des. 405,316; Des. 363,854; and Des. 343,990. Protrusions have also been used to improve the mixing action of shakers for preparing mixed drinks, as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 2,208,431. More recently, protrusions have been employed in wine tasting vessels to increase the release of the bouquet of a wine as a sample of wine in the vessel is swirled, as taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,644,846 and 6,409,374. These patents teach a protrusion having a platform which extends across the top of the protrusion and is described as extending to and continuing down the side, forming what might be viewed as a vertical rib or fin protruding from the protrusion. This protrusion is employed in combination with a rib on the interior surface of the vessel positioned opposite the platform, to constrict the flow of the swirled liquid in order to provide a venturi effect to promote release of the bouquet. This geometry would appear to provide most of the disturbance beneath the surface and, unless the swirling were very violent, would not notably aerate the wine, thereby limiting the effectiveness in enhancing the bouquet. Furthermore, the rib is an integral part of the sidewall of the glass and thus interferes with the visual observation of the clarity and color to the wine which contributes to the tasting experience.
Thus, there is a need for a wineglass which is effective in enhancing the bouquet of the wine contained therein while providing an aesthetically pleasing appearance.